EU ministers meet on tourism

European Union tourism ministers met in Nicosia on Friday to shape the bloc’s first sustainable tourism strategy and discuss how to shore up small travel businesses. (cyprus-presidency.consilium.europa.eu) The informal meeting ran on April 16-17 at the Filoxenia Conference Centre in Lefkosia, under Cyprus’ presidency of the Council of the European Union. Cyprus Deputy Tourism Minister Kostas Koumis chaired the talks. (cyprus-presidency.consilium.europa.eu) Officials split the agenda into two sessions: one on the forthcoming European Sustainable Tourism Strategy, and one on small and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs, in tourism. The second session also covered digitalisation and the green transition, with partial participation from Ukraine’s tourism agency and the secretary-general of UN Tourism. (cyprus-presidency.consilium.europa.eu; cbn.com.cy) The meeting comes after a record year for travel in the bloc. Eurostat said tourist accommodation in the European Union logged more than 3 billion nights in 2024, up 2.2% from 2023. (ec.europa.eu) International visitors drove most of that growth. Eurostat said nights spent by foreign guests rose by 67.2 million in 2024, while domestic nights slipped by 1.8 million. (ec.europa.eu) That rebound has landed alongside new strains on destinations. Cyprus Mail reported ministers were meeting as geopolitical tensions, higher travel costs and pressure on small businesses weighed on the sector. (cyprus-mail.com) The European Commission has been building this strategy through its tourism transition work, which focuses on greener operations, a more circular economy and resilience planning. The commission’s tourism platform says the approach is meant to steer the sector toward sustainable growth and innovation. (transition-pathways.europa.eu) A 2025 public consultation fed into the new strategy before ministers gathered in Cyprus. An Urban Agenda for the European Union update said the consultation was open until September 2025 and was framed around climate neutrality, resilience and inclusiveness. (urbanagenda.urban-initiative.eu) Cyprus officials cast Friday’s meeting as a policy-shaping session rather than a final vote. The presidency said the goal was an open exchange that could help align future action across the European tourism sector. (cyprus-presidency.consilium.europa.eu) By Friday afternoon, Koumis and European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas were scheduled to face reporters in Nicosia. The strategy they discussed is expected to guide how the European Union handles tourism growth, climate pressure and SME support in the next phase of policy. (cbn.com.cy; cyprus-mail.com)